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Good evening everyone,
I received a PCN from Britannia in the post on Monday 29th January. The PCN has been issued 22nd January 2024.
The driver believed that they were eligable for 2 hours of free parking, not 1.5hrs. The parking signage is very poor and not visible: away from the parking wing or below eye level (ref: a pic with a red car in front of it).
The layout of the store and parking below:
A driver parked at the left wing, close to the train tracks.
I'd appreciate your advice about the best way to appeal it.
Kindest regards,
Dot
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A good first step, 'Plan A' as it's often referred to, is to speak to the manager of the Waitrose store, taking along a receipt from the shopping done in their store on the date in question, and asking if they will intervene. Be polite but persistent.
If you do not get anywhere with Waitrose, then make sure you don't miss Britannia's deadline to appeal. They do not seem to be seeking to use Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act (PoFA, there's a link in my signature at the bottom of this post) to hold you liable as the registered keeper, so you could appeal as the keeper along the lines of the below:Dear Sirs,
I have received your Parking Charge Notice (Ref: ________) for vehicle registration mark ____ ___, in which you allege that the driver is liable to pay a parking charge. I note from your correspondence that you are not seeking to hold me liable as the registered keeper, under Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 ("The Act"). You have chosen not to issue a Notice to Keeper in accordance with The Act, and it is now too late for you to do so.
There is no obligation for me to name the driver and I will not be doing so. I am therefore unable to help you further with this matter, and look forward to your confirmation that the charge has been cancelled. If you choose to decline this appeal, you must issue a POPLA code.
Yours,
If appealing online, be careful there are no drop down/tick boxes that cause you to identify who was driving, and keep a close eye on your spam folder for their response. If they do not respond within 28 days, chase them. -
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I wonder if the car park for Waitrose which appears to be connected to the railway station car park, is still covered by railway bylaws, hence the lack of PoFA in the NtK.
AS advised by @DWMB2, continue with Plan A for now and try and get Waitrose to get the PCN cancelled. Try and go as high up the management food chain as possible. More often than not, a customer service agent will not help or even know what to do. Don't accept "you'll have to appeal with the parking company" mantra.
Remind them that receiving speculative invoice from a unregulated private parking company just for being a patron of their business isn't conducive to their future earnings if you have to take your and you friends and families business elsewhere. -
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OP, the driver was a patron of Waitrose and can demonstrate this with a receipt or similar?
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Hi guys,
Thank you very much for your input and advice. I spoke with a few managers in Waitrose but they all say that they are not allowed to interfere with Britannia’s doings and can't cancel PCNs. I used a template provided to appeal my PCN and now waiting for Britannia to reply.
I will update you accordingly.
All the best,
Dot -
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Those managers are either ignorant or lying. There is a very well established procedure under which Waitrose can and does regularly order Britannia to cancel overstaying tickets for Waitrose customers. Email a copy of your Waitrose receipt and the parking ticket to customerserviceteam@waitrose.co.uk and ask them politely to cancel the parking charge because you are a loyal customer who thought there was a 2 hour limit and can’t afford to continue to shop at Waitrose if the bill comes with a £100 surcharge.
The above assumes you were in a Waitrose car park, of course. -
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The OP hasn't yet answered: the driver was a patron of Waitrose and can demonstrate this with a receipt or similar??
If they were not, then Waitrose are not under any obligation, moral or otherwise IMO.
IMO, we should get clarity on this point nailed first before berating Waitrose. -
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Yes, the receipt can be presented to Waitrose’s customer service. I guess, this route is worth trying as well, but don't want to get my hopes high.
Someone, I know, an elderly gentleman, lost a sense of time in the Waitrose cafe, reading a paper after food shopping. He had written a letter to customer service saying exactly what you suggested. They didn't cancel the PCN and he is shopping somewhere else now. I wish I had known about the FTLA back then and could suggest appealing it. -
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And this receipt is for how much?
I seem to be trying to drag info out here. Was the driver a bona fide customer for the period of 2 hours or did they nip off somewhere else for the majority of the time and then simply doff their cap at being a customer and buy a loaf of bread?
We simply don't know and I want to get this point clear. If it's bona fide, then we could get 4-square behind an approach to Waitrose. -
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My most recent Waitrose / Britannia experience concerned a customer who bought a newspaper and a coffee every morning for a week and left his car in the Waitrose car park for 2 hours while he worked out in the gym next door. Waitrose cancelled the PCNs without a quibble.
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Thank you for sharing your experience and perspective. I will encourage the driver to contact Waitrose customer service.
Fingers crossed! -
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What difference does it make whether the driver spent 50p or £50 at Waitrose? Is a patron not a patron if they don't spend more than a minimum amount?
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That was certainly the Waitrose attitude when they cancelled those PCNs last month.
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Hi guys!
I have an update on my case.
Today I received the Final Reminder from Britannia in the post.…together with the Waitrose customer service response to my email. They decided to arrange for the fine to be waived for me on this occasion as a gesture of goodwill. Emailing them worked! Thank you for your advice! None of the 3 managers from Waitrose even mentioned emailing customer service about it.
I am very happy that I don’t have to continue battling with Britannia. Saying that, would you know, if I must notify Britannia about Waitrose’s decision to cancel the notice? There is nothing mentioned in their email.
Regards,
Dot -
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I’m glad my experience with Waitrose wasn’t a one off and was helpful to you.
I don’t think you need to do anything more but keep the email you received from Waitrose safe in case Britannia doesn’t get the message -
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